A Guide to Elegance

"I bought this book while I was researching my book about French style. It was written many, many years ago, but it’s been recently reissued. Even the cover exudes elegance, just two colours, light blue and black. What Dariaux does is she offers tips on elegance, which she divides up alphabetically. Under the letter “L,” for example, there are entries on leather, lingerie, luggage, luncheons and luxury. And the reason I picked this book is that one key thing about French women’s style is that it’s timeless. If you look at someone like Coco Chanel, or Catherine Deneuve, right up to contemporary women, like the supermodel Ines de la Fressange, there’s something about the allure of French women that doesn’t change. So however long ago this book was written, and I believe it was in 1964, it’s still very pertinent and relevant. Obviously some things change, but I think it’s an interesting insight: that the kind of things that were important back then, still remain the case today. For French women, the basic tenets of being chic from your head to your toes, from your toes up to your coif, and no matter what situation you’re in, responding with elegance and style, is somehow very deeply ingrained into them at a very early age. I guess because they’re brought up hearing about people like Coco Chanel, who comes up with brilliant quotes like “elegance is refusal” to make sure you never get fat. Well, one thing I have found is that French women will always go for a lotion or potion rather than exercise. They firmly believe that an exfoliating and cellulite cream is the way to stay in shape. It may or may not be, but it makes you feel great so why not go for it? And Dariaux very much believes such things are indispensable. She says: “Products that are related to beauty, such as cosmetics and perfume, are presented to us as indispensable allies in any conquest, and to refrain from buying them is the equivalent of retiring to a convent.”"